I have a nearly new set of Firestonestone Wilderness AT's sitting around. I have Goodyear Wrangler AP's on my 150 now with almost 40K miles. Since I'll be replacing the wheels soon, I was going to throw the Firestones on since they only have about 800 miles.
Are these better than the Wrangler AP's?
I know about the recall and such. But I believe tire pressure and center of gravity/wheelbase, and drivers may be more to blame with the Explorer's than the tire. Since I have a 2WD (the front lower than the rear from the factory) and a 139" wheelbase, I couldn't picture my truck going out of control as the explorer's did. It may try to plow to one side, but flipping over seems unlikely.
So, are these decent tires? Don't want to throw them out. They came off my wifes truck because she got a tad nervous, and are not eligible for any kind of exchange or refund.

 

I don't know about the wranglers, but I like my Wilderness ATs ok. However, I will definitely go a little more aggressive next time around. But if they are just an extra pair laying around, then I say go for it. By the way, I have the P255/70/R16 version. I currently have about 22,000 miles on them. They still look pretty good.

Ox

 

I had a set of them on my F150 until Ford paid to replace them. Had Ford not paid for replacements, I would have kept them on. While I had them , they were decent tires and I was happy with them. They were wearing very well, and had about 50,000 miles on them when they were replaced. They easily had another 20,000 miles to go. Road noise was minimal, and traction was better under all conditions than the All Season tires the truck originally came with. They were one of the better winter traction tires I've had in the past.

I can't compare them to the AP's since I've never had them.

If you you do use them, I would keep a close eye on them, especially the tire pressures. Ford ate an awful lot of money replacing these tires. Whether that was primarily a public relations move or based on some other evidence, you and I will probably never know. Do note that Firestone was forced to recall even more of these tires by NHSTA after ford began the replacement program. First, I would make sure they were for sure not covered in a Firestone recall, and then make a decision from there.

 

I had the AT's on my 98 explorer (just like everyone else). They were great tires! I really liked them. When the recall came out, I was VERY HESITANT to change them because these were the replacements for the ORIGINAL RECALL. That's right, they replaced my ORIGINAL AT's with more AT's. Then, Ford hands down the verdict that ALL AT's come off.

Well, I rode the AT's until I finally broke down and threw some Michelin's on there. All I can say is DAMN! The michelin's kick the AT's BUTT all over the place. The ride quality is not even comprable.

I really think Firestone has recieved a bad rap on this entire deal. It saddens me to know that millions of PERFECTLY GOOD TIRES were scrapped because of this campaign. My grandfather owns a tire shop in my home town and has the same opinion. They're good tires...better than some of the replacements, they got a bad wrap. Very bad...

That's my two cents..

 

I've had several sets of Wilderness At's (Ranger Supercab, Ranger Reg cab 4x4, and my wife's Explorer). When I bought my current truck right in the middle of the recall, I was disapointed to see that Ford stopped putting them on the 150s. They were good tires. Great treadlife... and they looked 150% better than the "Generals" my truck came with. There is no way that a tire that looks like it belongs on a '79 Cadillac can perform as well as the Firestones...

 

Had Wilderness AT's on my 98 Ranger. Didn't care much for them, and couldn't wait for 25K to hit so I could justify new tires. Fortunately for me, about that same time Ford included my size (265/75/15) in the recall, so they paid for part of the replacements (I replaced them with Michelin LTX A/Ts....great tire). I would not choose to spend money on another set of Wilderness AT's but, I'm with Blue Ox....if they're there, and they're already paid for and lying around, throw 'em on.

ernie